Markets are the livelihood of many in a community, centres for people not only to shop but also to gather and meet. In South Korea, where markets continue to be a thriving trade for many locals, they have become popular tourist destinations for international visitors to immerse themselves in the everyday bustle of ordinary folk.
In Busan, perhaps one of the most famous markets is the BuPyeong-KkangTong Market (부평(깡통)시장), opening in the 1890s. It was originally referred to as BuPyeong SaGeoRi Market (부평사거리시장), or BuPyeong Crossraods Market for its huge complex layout and its location in the BuPyeong area of Busan. In later years, it became known as the KkangTong, or tin-can Market because of the sales of canned goods brought over by American soldiers who were stationed in Korea. It then became a hotspot for foreign goods including alcohol, cosmetics, and Japanese electronics, which attracted both patrons and distributors from all over Korea who were looking to expand their repertoire.
In the last couple of decades, the Market has undergone some major revamps to clean up the complex and make it into a much cleaner and more functional location to visit. The market is now divided into the arcade complex and the food complex, which allows for a better separation between foodstuffs and other general merchandise. In 2013, a night market was also established to increase foot traffic even further into the area.
Across the road from BuPyeong-KkangTong Market is also GukJe International Market (국제시장), were refugees flocked as vendors to make a living. With its proximity to BuPyeong-KkangTong and its similar layout of vendors packed closely in tall, covered alleys, it’s sometimes difficult to differentiate them from each other. However, thanks to these markets’ central location and their offers of some of the tastiest fare around, it’s easy to see why it’s a popular destination for both locals on their typical shopping rounds and tourists alike.
BuPyeong KkangTong Night Market (부평(깡통)야시장)
From around 7:30pm, red food carts are rolled out into one of the main alleys behind the starfish mascot. These are distinctly different from the permanent vendors that operate from the buildings of the market, and offer a variety of both international and modernised Korean food. The carts occupy only one alley of the market (the western-most vertical alley on a map with North facing up), though some food vendors operate through the evening to snag some of the night market punters. Beware that some of these vendors may have changed since our visit in May of 2019.
Mung Bean Pancakes BinDaeTteok (빈대떡)
A popular streetfood all throughout Korea is bindaetteok, a shallow-fried pancake consisting of mashed mung beans. We sampled ours at one of the main diners in the night market that offer this dish (Stall 5A-21) while we waited for the night market to set up fully. This diner otherwise operates in the mornings, too. We ordered a seafood pancake (해물 녹두 빈대떡) at ₩5,000 (US$4.10), sitting at the griddle so we could watch the action where it was hottest.
Despite the thickness of the pancakes, the texture was delightful, with a crisp exterior and a tender, fluffy middle not dissimilar to a hash brown. It has the earthy, nutty flavour of mung beans, and the chewy seafood pieces also contributes texture. The pancake is seasoned minimally, so it’s best dipped in the soy-vinegar sauce that is served alongside the pancake, and a slice of raw onion, for something a little sharp to cut through the grease. This was so unexpectedly tasty that it made it as twins’ pick as recommended eats. Though it’s simple and cheap, it is truly delicious.
Grilled Abalone / Conch with Butter (전복 소라 버터구이)
One of the foods we were interested in when travelling to Korea was jeonbok or abalone (전복) though it is unsurprisingly expensive regardless of where you go. When we saw the option of trying it as a small dish at the night market we jumped on the chance – the long queue was also very reassuring. This we purchased at the stall Today is the Day to Eat Grilled Abalone/Conch with Butter (오늘은 전복 소라 버터구이 먹는 날), ordering the grilled abalone with butter (전복버터구이) for ₩5,000 (US$4.10).
The dish came with a side of stir-fried vegetables with a barbecue sauce and mayonnaise, as well as a dish of vinegar red pepper paste gochujang. For a shellfish that can become tough as quickly as it takes to blink, the texture was softer than we expected, like a firm mushroom thanks to its bite. The light seasoning also means that the flavour of the blowtorch is much stronger. If you love seafood and want to sample some Korean abalone, this is a great cheap option for you to try.
Addictive Fried Squid (마약 오징어 튀김)
Anything in Korea that is easy to pop in your mouth and is dangerously addictive is referred to as mayak, which literally means drugs, and this squid might actually be coated in some. Their marketing ploy is simple: a bowl of sample squid that is topped off consistently, and while we thought it could become expensive for the stall it turned out to be a flawless plan because the squid is, quite frankly, addictive. The squid is so thin it’s strand-like, crispy and a little chewy, and coated in a variety of seasoning powders such as cream garlic, to name one out of many. And once we tried a couple we couldn’t go away without horking down a whole lot more.
So we bought a cup from Addictive Fried Squid (마약 오징어 튀김) for ₩4,000 (US$3.30), and we spent the rest of the night nibbling from it until we didn’t know where they had all gone.
Korean Filled Pancakes Hotteok (호떡)
One must-eat food in Busan is hotteok (호떡), a Korean pancake consisting of a thin, crispy-chewy skin filled with a variety of ingredients. In Busan, hotteok is served slightly differently, where the pancake is fried while empty, and then sliced open and filled when cooked, rather than before cooking. The most common flavour by far is a combination of sugar, nuts, and seeds, and many variations of this pancake can be found all over Korea.
We decided to stop at Luxury Hotteok (명품 호떡), a stall at the very end of the night market whose seed hotteok we bought for ₩1,500 (US$1.25). They also have cheese or glass noodle-filled pancakes at ₩2,000 (US$1.65) each. The seed hotteok is also dusted with roasted soybean flour kinako, which contributes a lovely nutty texture. Though the ingredients besides the soybean flour is basically the same as non-Busan hotteok, the ones from this little port city are arguably the most delicious in the country. While Luxury Hotteok makes a mean version, these pancakes are all throughout the city and we recommend trying at least one before you depart.
Double Cheese Macaron (더블 황치즈 마카롱)
If there’s one thing Korea is obsessed with, it’s cheese. And so is Jos. So when she spotted the double-cheese macaron, macarons being another one of Korea’s big obsessions at the time, she could not pass up the opportunity to try it. So we bought one at ₩2,300 (US$1.89), a normal-sized macaron piled high with cheese buttercream and topped with a slice of processed cheddar.
Perhaps it was the temperature of the macaron, but the buttercream was definitely too stiff to fully enjoy. Besides that, it was a tasty macaron, and we’re pretty certain that the other more ordinary flavours would be a hit for those with a sweet tooth.
BuPyeong KkangTong Day Market (부평(깡통)시장)
The day market occupies the entire designated covered complex and its outskirts. It generally opens from 9am, though it depends on the individual stores, with some eateries opening earlier for breakfast.
Steamed Dumplings at MiSeong Wang Mandu (미성왕만두)
At one of the western entrances on the outside fringe of the market is a steamed dumpling and bun store whose store front consists of a fake-food display of its products and huge, stacked metal steamers. The name of the shop we visited was MiSeong Wang Mandu (미성왕만두), and we stopped by to order a portion of the meat / kimchi dumplings. These go for ₩5,000 (US$4.10) and consists of eight plump dumplings stuffed to bursting with a pork or pork-and-kimchi filling.
The super thin skin is tender, giving way to the flavourful meat filling. It’s best eaten dipped in the salty-sour-sweet vinegar soy dipping sauce. It makes for a cheap, filling, and delicious light meal. Try the red bean steamed bread jjinbbang (찐빵) or the savoury steamed buns for something a little heftier.
Pan-Fried Red Bean Ricecake BuKkuMi (부꾸미)
Bukkumi is another dish that is served all throughout Korea though isn’t spoken about as often as other Korean sweets. It consists of a small pancake made of glutinous rice flour or other flour and folded over sweet fillings such as red beans or sugar and seeds into a crescent shape. We’d never encountered the dish before, but we felt compelled to try it as we passed by Stall 4A-40 in the Market. 3 pieces at this little store went for ₩2,000 (US$1.60), though the vendor threw in a fourth piece for free.
The stall had 3 different colours of pancake: yellow, white, and red. The yellow pancake was made using millet flour, the white using glutinous rice flour, and the red using sorghum flour, which each imparted slightly different textures and fragrances, though each as delicious as the others. The outside of the pancake was crisp, the middle tender and slightly chewy, and the red bean paste is sweetened only slightly, which balanced the snack without making it sickening. Though a little greasy, the snack was so delicious and different to the other standard sweets we’d tried that we recommend that anyone who likes pancakes, and especially those who love Korean hoddeok to give it a go.
Sweet Red Bean Porridge Dan Pat Juk (단팥죽)
Hot sweet red bean porridge is a common dish not only in Korea, but all throughout Asia. In the heart of the BuPyeong Market is a cluster of tiny eateries that sell this dessert, so we thought we’d give it a go. We decided on Stall 4A-25 for no reason besides having a couple more patrons than its neighbours, though we wouldn’t guarantee it’s any better than the others. One bowl of red bean porridge is ₩3,000 (US$2.45), with fermented rice drink sikhye (식혜) available as a drink for free.
The porridge came with a couple of pieces of rice cake tossed in roasted soybean flour. The porridge is very smooth with a few pieces of whole red beans. It’s only very lightly sweetened and likely a little salted too, which lends a surprisingly rich and slightly savoury flavour to the nutty-beany taste of the red beans. Despite the simplicity of the dish and the few components involved, its combination of smooth-creamy-chewy textures and the light seasoning makes the flavour much more complex, a truly delicious dish that Jos would highly recommend.
Snack Foods and Busan-Style Fishcakes
A typical, cheap meal in Busan’s BuPyeong Market consists of a bowl of noodles and a side of Busan-style fishcakes (어묵). Several restaurants in the market sell these quick, cheap meals, and we decided to make a stop at Stall 5A-24 for a quick breakfast on one of our last days in the city. We ordered “festive” soup noodles in anchovy broth janchi guksu (잔치국수; ₩4,000; US$3.25), glass noodles dangmyeon (당면; ₩4,000; US$3.25); Busan-style fishcake eomuk (부산어묵; ₩1,000; US$0.80); and a filled tofu pocket yubu jumeoni (유부주머니; ₩3,000; US$2.45).
In truth, nothing about this meal was particularly exceptional. The dishes were as standard as you could get, perhaps even a little bland, the broths all needing just a touch more salt. It’s likely just the stall we stopped at, and we’re sure than there must be another noodle spot in the market whose dishes are tastier. In any case, it makes for a very cheap, fast meal that is filling and a little varied.
With the sheer number of vendors operating at BuPyeong KkangTong Market, there’s surely something for everyone, be it a meal or a souvenir. It’s a great place to visit to get a glimpse of daily life, as well as to have a taste of, or stock up on almost anything.
BuPyeong KkangTong Market and Night Market (부평깡통시장/야시장)
39 Bupyeong 1-gil, Bupyeong-dong, Jung-gu, Busan, South Korea
Mon-Sun open 9am; closed at varying times
English website (Korean, Chinese, Japanese sites available)
